


Among The Starlight

by Jenn0509



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Character Death, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Mother-Son Relationship, One Shot, Past Abuse, The Doctor's Childhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-08
Updated: 2013-09-08
Packaged: 2017-12-25 23:51:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/959077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenn0509/pseuds/Jenn0509
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Tenth Doctor and Donna get a brief visitor just before 4X8: The Wasp and The Unicorn, giving him just a little less reason to feel so lonely.</p><p>Some insight into the Doctor's childhood with his mother upon her deathbed.Non-canon take on the Doctor's mother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Among The Starlight

The Doctor stared at Donna, trying to figure out where to go next. “We could...oh, no, that’s no good.”

“How about that moon you’re always talking about?” Donna offered. He opened his mouth to reply when a woman stumbled through the doors of the TARDIS. Donna caught the woman, “Woah!”

The Doctor rushed over, but stilled when Donna brushed long black hair away from the woman’s face. “Starla.” He fell to his knees and scrambled the rest of the way, touching her cheek, “Starla? Starla?” She didn’t respond, not until he said, “Mum?”

Donna looked at him in shock, and the woman’s dark brown eyes fluttered open. A small smile filled her face, “Hullo.”

“You were shot.” He said, his voice wavering, “I watched it. You and Father died.”

“Nearly.” She said softly, “I had to come see you. Just one last time, I wanted to see my son in his TARDIS. You’re so handsome.”

Donna laughed, “He’s so thin though! Practically gives me papercuts all the time!”

“Like his father.” She said, and he clenched her hand in his.

“You don’t look well.”

Starla took a ragged breath, pulling him towards her and gently pressing his ear to her chest, “Listen.”

He pulled back after a second, “What?”

Starla pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, “The shot destroyed my left heart. Your father was repairing it when he was killed. He bought me enough time to make it to a fragment of our TARDIS. I’m dying, but I had to see you one last time. I couldn’t bare not seeing you again. I had to know you made it. Your father’d call me foolish.”

“You’re never foolish, Mum, never. I’ve never thought that.” The Doctor assured her.

Starla laughed shallowly, “Not even when you were little?”

He knew the incident she was referring to, and he hated it. He’d been just a boy, but it had been his moment to stare into the time vortex. “I’m scared.” He’d said to her.

Starla, youthful, beautiful Starla had knelt next to her son, “Why, my darling? Are you afraid of the vortex?” He nodded, and she pulled him to her, “Don’t be, my darling boy. It can’t harm you. I’ll be right here waiting for you. Everything will be alright.”

“That’s a foolish thing to say.” He’d said, and had wanted to take the words back as soon as he’d said them.

She looked as though he’d slapped her for a moment, standing up with a faked smile on her face, “More and more like your father every day, my son. I am so very sorry.”

“Star! Bring the boy!” His father had yelled from out of sight, voice harsh.

Although he knew his father had regenerated since becoming mated to his mother, he couldn’t understand how cruel his father was to her. He hadn’t seen as much as a fond smile between them in years at that point.

He had looked into the time vortex, and had run back to his mother as fast as his legs could carry him. She’d jerked him close, and cooed into his ear, muffling the sounds of his father speaking furiously at her, telling her she coddled him too much.

His father never laid a hand on her though, he wouldn’t dare. His mother, ‘The Starlight’, Starla to those close to her, was one of the best fighters the Time Lords had. If his father had ever laid a hand on her, she’d have killed him. That didn’t stem the cruel words insulting her human father. He’d often call her ‘human’ like it was a vulgarity. Biologically she was a Time Lady. Most called her human, but none said it with the hate his father had. “It keeps me kind, something you don’t understand!” She would snap back at him.

Starla had held him then, for hours, before finally asking, “What’s your name, my darling? What name have you chosen for yourself?”

He had looked up at her, his hearts still beating far too rapidly, “Why do I have to name myself? Human mothers name their children, why can’t you name me?”

Starla smiled, smoothing his dark hair, “I have, my darling, but that’s a name just between us. You need a name we can shout out into space, tell everyone. Your friends at the Academy need to have something to call you.”

“I can’t always be your darling?” He’d said sadly.

Starla kissed his forehead, “You’ll always be my darling. Nothing will ever change that.”

“I’ll be The Doctor then. I want to make people better.” He had put his arms around her neck, “I want to make you smile.”

Starla had clutched him to her. “You always make me smile.”

“More than my sister?”

She had laughed, “More than your sister. Don’t tell her that though, it’s our little secret.”   
Now the Doctor was looking down at her more critically, “You look like you did before your first regeneration, when I was young.”

Starla nodded, wincing in pain, “This is the form you were born to. This is the form you got to love me as your mother in. We never got to see each other once the war started. I wanted to return to this. Used up what was left of my TARDIS, but just for a little bit, I wanted to be myself with my son again. How’ve you been?”

He glared at her, “I lost my family, Mum. How do you think I’ve been?”

She coughed, “I’m so sorry, my darling. They were my family too. My grandchildren. My little girl. But you, you’re alive, and that means everything to me. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” He said honestly, thinking back to that time he’d stood with Rose and told her that there wasn’t a boy in the universe who wouldn’t tear apart the universe looking for his mother. He’d been that little boy. When he went into the Academy, he hadn’t seen her again. Not until the war that is. He’d seen her a few times, once to introduce her grandchildren to her. Wearing a new face, she’d folded herself around them, and reminded him why she was the first woman he’d ever loved.

Like the sun, Starla warmed everything she touched. Back when Time Lords had been sent out to their destinations, Starla was a favorite. She was soothing, but ready to take charge. The Doctor could see the light fading from her eyes though. She coughed violently, seizing in his arms, and he put his forehead to hers, “Please don’t leave me.”

Starla relaxed against him, a smile on her face, “I have to, my darling. There’s nothing left for me. My TARDIS is gone, your father is gone. My two life lines, gone without me. I must join them.” She gave a small chuckle, “Your father never could leave me behind for long. I’ve got to leave you soon, for good. You won’t see me again, but that’s alright, because we’ve got right now. The last Time Lord and Time Lady with a companion, together for one last moment.” She sighed, “As it is, children should be the ones to bury their parents, not the other way around. Perhaps it’s time we give that a try?”

“There’s really nothing I can do to save you?”

“No.” She said firmly, kissing the back of his hand again, unable to reach his anguished face. “There’s not. All you can do for me now is be here with me until I fall asleep.”

He held her, Donna by his side, until her heart failed and her eyes drifted closed. Gold mist poured out of her mouth and he caught it, taking the TARDIS out into space and letting her body and essence go. “What did you do that for?” Donna asked through tears, and as he watched the glinting gold mist spread out across space, he smiled.

“She’s with the starlight now. It’s where she’s always wanted to be. She's watching over Jenny and the rest now.” The Doctor closed his eyes and let his brain seal in every last detail of those precious moments with his mother. “I guess we both needed a little closure.” He clenched his fist, forcing yet another smile, “Come on, Donna! Let’s do something cheery. Perhaps a dinner party?”


End file.
